Cotter-pin.



H. G. McCOMB.

COTTER PIN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. I914.

1 mgw Patnted Oct. 26., 1915.

Witnesses Inv Henry M b' 4 Hi a ttrne MGCOMB, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,ASSIGNOR '10 GENERAL VEHICLE COMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF NE?YORK.

CQTTIElb-PIN.

lldlflim eiti,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 26, 1914. Serial No. 821,296.

To aZZ whom it may concern .1

3e it known that l, HENRY G. MoCoMn, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York city, county of New York, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotter-Pins, of whichthe following is a specification.

lily invention relates to all split pins, such as cotter pins, splitkeys and similar devices, and the objects of my invention are to providean improved construction of such devices, but particularly of cotterpins, whereby they may be readily spread or opened butwhich costssubstantially no more to manufacture than the usual forms of suchdevices.

My pins or keys are substantially like those now common, except that Iprovide each with a sufficient bevel along the side of a tang,(preferably a bevel along each s de of each tang) to allow the readylnsertion of a blunt pointed instrument between, and the spreading of,the tangs By extending the bevel or be'vels continuously the full lengthof each tang, the pin or key may be spread from any point along itslength. In the particular case of cotter pins, the bevels preferablyextend continuously from the end of a tang, around the eye and back tothe end of the other tang, since in addition to the other advantages,the blank of such a cotter pin may be as readily drawn as the ordinary,substantially semi-circular blanks. It is immaterial to my inventionwhether the bevel or bevels have plain or other surfaces so long as aspreading tool may-be readily introduced there ,rerred form of cotter Atron my invention pinthrough whic I d ooth in its broad may be readily uand specific aspews.

In the accompanying drawingl have illustrated. 'in perspective myimproved cotter p This cotter pin comprises two substantiallysemi-circular tangs 1 and 2 joined by the eye Both "es of both tangs areprovided with bevels 4:, which extend from an end of one tang, aroundthe eye as shown at 5, and back to the end or the second tang.

In this case the surface of each bevel is plain and at an. angleapproximately 45 to the flat ii er surface of the pin. Almost any 1 ntool, however blunt, as, for t driver, directed by the beveled surface,may be readily inserted be tween the tangs of such a cotter pin at .vhatever point it may be desirable to spread the tangs'. Considerable timein spreading the tangs is thereby saved and the blank for such a pin maybe as readily drawn as the blanks of the usual and more strictlysemicircular forms. A certain amount of metal may also be savedapproximating an eighth of the total amount heretofore necessary for agiven size of pin. It is to be especially noted that the ends of thetangs are well rounded, that the fiat faces are in direct contactthroughout their entire length andthat while the beveled portion ofeach. tang extends from the eye to the end they do not extend aroundsaid end. This latter feature, and also the rounding of the end, greatlyfacilitate the insertion of the pin in place and permit of the tangsbeing spread from any point along their length.

I am aware that for a long time prior to my invention, probablysubstantially ever since cotter pin blanks were first drawn like wirethrough dies, the edges have not been formed by surfaces meeting atright or acute angles to each other, but the edges have been somewhatrounded as it is well understood by those skilled in wire drawing to benecessary. The curvature of the rounding of these edges has been onradii of the order of 'inch, which altogether fails to obtain theresults I contemplate. I do not of course, intend to cover such priorconstructions in the appended claims, but I do contemplate certainmodifications of the construction. I have illustrated which also embodymy invention, and I intend in the claims to include all suchmodifications.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. A split pin comprising two adjacent tangs, one of saidtangs being beveled along a side adjacent the other tang, the bevelextending from substantially the head of the pin to substantially theend thereof to allow the ready insertion at the side of a blunt pointedinstrument to spread the bangs.

2. A split pin comprising two adjacent tangs, one of said tangs beingbeveled along a side adjacent to a second tang adapted to allow theready insertion at the side of a blunt pointed instrument to spread thetangs.

3. A cotter pin comprising two adjacent Fail lid

tangs, one of said tangs being provided with a continuous bevelextending along a side from substantially the end thereof to the eye,around the eye, and along-the adjacent edge of the second tang tosubstantially the end thereof adapted to direct the insertion of a bluntpointed instrument'to spread the "tangs.

4. A cotter pin provided With an eye and two parallel engaging tangswhich present an nnbroken end surtace to facilitate insertion of aspreading tool.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set the insermy hand this twentiethday of. February 1914.

HENRY G. MCCOMB Witnesses:

' EDWARD R. BAI

JAS. A. ALLEN Nns,

